090511 Humanitarian Logistics

12/5/2009

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Humanitarian logistics Posted By admin On 11/05/2009 @ 13:15 In Articles | No Comments

By Brian Lariche Humanitarian logistics is an increasingly ‘popular’ term that is being bandied about in the nonprofit world as a result of the many disasters the world has been experiencing and the coverage these disasters have been getting. Humanitarian logistics can be considered a ‘branch’ that focuses on the delivery and warehousing of supplies during natural disasters or complex emergencies to people in an affected area. Although initially view ed as something commercial only, logistics is actually one of the most important tools now in disaster relief operations. In fact the, the way resources are chosen and handled, the method of storing, the method of tracking the items for the disaster victims and the teams needed to go in before, during and after a disaster all play an essential part in bringing aid to the disaster stricken. This book “Humanitarian Logistics” by Tomasini and Wassenhove gives an overview into the w orld of disaster management and the essential tools needed to deal w ith it. ROLANDO TOMASINI is Research Associate/Humanitarian Program Coordinator at INSEAD whilst LUK VAN WASSENHOVE holds the Henry Ford chair in manufacturing at INSEAD. They both got involved in the w orld of disaster management via their research and evaluation of the supply chain performance and disaster management of humanitarian operations. Their close relationship to this w orld gives them a unique insight into this form of humanitarian management. The book is divided into 7 chapters with the first dealing with logistics and supply chain management. It starts w ith an overview of the issue of logistics w ithin a humanitarian framew ork. It highlights the various unique points found w ithin the humanitarian ‘industry’ that is so different from the normal logistics but at the same time shed light on the similarities. The 2nd chapter deals w ith the issue of humanitarianism and the 3 main accepted principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality associated with it. It gives a good illustration of the complexities involved in such w ork using the example of Bosnia and the decision to suspend all UNHCR activities despite mass opposition by the then UN High Commissioner for refugees- Sadako Ogata. It highlights that only those w ith a close proximity to the said humanitarian effort can understand the nuances involved w ith each humanitarian effort. Chapter 3 and 4 goes on to importance of being prepared and coordinated to deal w ith disasters. It highlights that logistical preparation is essential and that past lessons should serve to ensure agencies are prepared before hand with the necessary tools and systems to quickly enter a disaster area. It is then essential that the coordination betw een all the parties involved is w orked properly for most efficient mobilisation of aid. The next tw o chapters deal with information and how to process it for the use of the team involved in the logistics management of the project so that teams can be prepared and coordinated. The book highlights the similar issues faced by the humanitarian organisations as per commercial ones w ith reluctance to share information due to the fear of those w ho give up the information becoming irrelevant w hen the information is shared. It also highlights that information is only as good as the people w ho process it into know ledge useful for all to use. It reiterates the earlier chapters that the human capital required in Humanitarian Logistics is tremendous and sadly there are not enough of such people to go around. The final chapter deals w ith corporate involvement into disaster management and specifically w ith the logistics issue. The chapter discusses the excellent partnership betw een Dutch logistics company-TNT and the WFP- World Food Program. It highlights the foresight of such company CEO’s and the effort needed to create a viable working partnership but at the same time it does not explain the partnership through rose coloured lenses but instead deals w ith the realities associated w ith it. The book does give a good first look into the w orld of humanitarian logistics and seeks to inform the reader of the many players and issues involved. I found the book informative and useful though a little too academic in form for the man on the street w ith interest in the issue but no NGO background. There is alw ays reference to chapters prior and future and the language tends to be more academic friendly. I also appreciated the use of many cases studies w hich made some of the issues clear but for some like the issue on obstacles faced in page 84/85, a more in-depth example w ith actual examples of costing w ould have given greater insight into the issues at hand. It does leave the reader w ithout a complete sense of the situation. In conclusion, I w ould recommend this book for those w ho w ant to get a better insight into the issue of disaster management and the many layers involved. It goes beyond the issue of logistics only also gives an overview into the multifaceted w orld of non profit the complexities involved. However, the true value of the book w ill be for those w ith some know ledge and background in the NGO w orld or in the field of disaster management and w ant a deeper insight into the situation. Brian Lariche is the Executive Director of the Liaison Combination Sdn Bhd [1] . Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites w here readers can share and discover new w eb pages. [2] [3]

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